What does this school mum actually think the rest of us are queuing for??

[aperolspritzbasicbitch]

In general I arrive at my child’s school for pick up about 5 minutes before the playground gate is opened. Not on purpose, it just happens that sometimes the walk is quicker than others. Sometimes I’m the first one there, sometimes there are a few people in front, and others join the queue behind me.

One particular mum will turn up bang on collection time (fine) and just walk past the queue of people patiently waiting and stand right in front of the gate.
As if we aren’t all there for the same reason.

It actually baffles me that she seems to think that her need to collect her child is any greater than the rest of us, but so far haven’t said anything because I can’t be arsed with any playground drama, although yesterday I was tempted to side step in front of her just as the gate was open.

is this not just straight up rude behaviour?

Haha fair enough! There are people like this though, I am not talking about the working parents who are on the minutes rushing and making their best effort to get there, this mum is in no rush whatsoever, just strolls up late most days.

It’s not a queue, you’re just standing outside a gate. I do both things - arrive early and walk up, we all go to different pick up points and I have three children which takes three times as long so I’m not getting to anywhere faster than anyone. If you were being served or something happening to each person in turn like checking tickets, it would be a queue but it’s just standing outside a building

This thread explicates why people from other countries make fun of the British who stand in a line to no purpose.

People often argue that first come first served is the rule. It is the "fair" way. But those who got there first may have done so because they live closer or came by car. That would be unfair on anyone who lives further away and had to take the bus. Not to mention older or disabled people who cannot stand too long.What is fair seems very arbitary.

I have often been one of those people who walked confidently to the front of queues. I have never pushed or shoved anyone. Merely joined the bunch that always forms at the front of a queue as soon as the door, gate or barrier is opened. Ive had a few dirty looks but no one had ever challenged me. What are they going to do? Take out an AK47 and shoot me? Maybe in Russia. (Another country where queueing is an art form.) Or maybe not. Do I care what the randoms at the bus stop think? Certainly not,

Bus queues. Hmmmm. Ive stood at a city stop where up to half a dozen buses pull in. When I see mine in the distance I move quickly to the front to be sure of getting on. I dont know which bus all the other people standing around want. Im not going to ask them all individually "are you waiting for the 501?" Im not going to risk my bus sailing past because no one indicates they want it. No Im going to move efficiently to the front, put out my arm, and jump on as soon as it stops.

Then do that…

So you tell us why would she ignore everyone else waiting in queue and go directly to the gate? Eye sight issues?

the gate is ‘one at a time’ width, so you do need to queue to go through it.

I don't believe this. People with side by side pushchairs wouldn't be able to get through.

I didn't often do school pick up, but when I did I'd spot a mate and go and chat to them. I hope others didn't think I was pushing in.
I mean it was a sort of queue, or line of people, but the gate opened quite a few mins before school finished so there was no advantage in getting through the gate first.

People form a line at our school even though there is ample scape around them and absolute no need for it. They literally stand with a gap between them then the gate opens and they all move to stand in the yard in groups. I think at this point it’s just force of habit. Seems to be the done thing now!

I’d say it’s in the UK!!!! Because every dumb person over here queues in a queue not knowing what they are queueing for!

The fact this has turned into a argument about what is or isn’t a queue is the most wonderfully British thing ever!

We collect our children from the classroom doors ages after the school gates are opened. Usually people bunch around the doors in whatever fashion, your child just needs to see their adult is there to be released to them.
In reception, which is on the opposite side of the school to the rest, all the parents form a queue and if you're at the back, you can't see the door.
So when the kids come out, if they can't see you, they don't release them to you and have to stand to the side until they see you. I usually walk past everyone nearer to the door. The children come out in a random order anyway, and are let out one by one by the teacher!! So the queue literally makes no difference and it infuriates me!!! There's LOADS of room to be able to gather round rather than form a huge line. Don't get why people do it.

You don’t believe me? 😂
oh ok, you caught me! I’ve been lying about the width of the gate this whole time.

2 people could not comfortably fit through at the same time. It isn’t the main gate. Even when walking through with someone I know one of us will pause to let the other go first.

I vaguely remember there being a social experiment donkeys years ago (pre internet, was on the TV, may have been the local news but thats all I remember!) where a journalist started a queue with actors/volunteers to see if people joined and loads did! The longer the queue got, the more people joined! They said that they had joined as obviously something big was at the other end and they wanted to find out what it was. Fear of missing out basically!

Ooop sorry, I didn't realise it wasn't the main gate. I thought the playground gate would be the main gate, but realise that this is quite narrow (ha ha) minded of me.

I'm now at the age where I get all wistful passing our local primary school. The busyness, endless forgetting and remembering and getting all stressed about queuing etc is all in the past.

I literally can’t believe people are still arguing that this isn’t a queue, can’t fathom that a school might have a queue, and have never seen a non-massive school gate 😂 Jesus.

Our school is like yours OP. We have TWO locked single-file gates, one at front of school and one at back of school, for which there are queues. Then you go to your kid’s classroom door (they all open onto the playground) and then the loitering commences.

Sometines there’s only one staff member to unlock the gates so one gate has to wait while they cross the playground to unlock the second gate. Never seen a drama about it though!

My kids school is the same. It's just a gathering of people standing apart from each other. I'll let people go in front because the kids get sent out on a random line anyway. They get sent to a parent one at a time so if I'm a minute late because I'm grabbing my other kid, they just put them to the side and let another child go till I arrive

It’s a pointless queue, in that it makes no material difference to anyone whether this woman joins it or ignores it and walks to the front, given that you have admitted it won’t speed up or slow down the actual collection of anyone’s children wherever she decides to stand. You are therefore being a bit twatty to be so annoyed by it. Save your irritation for someone pushing into a queue that is meaningful, rather than someone who has obliviously inserted themselves into a vacant space, to absolutely nobody’s loss or gain.

I can’t believe this thread is still active and the OP is still engaging, commenting and arguing with various responses?!? Seriously, is this that important??? It’s taken up your whole day!!! Do you not have family to spend time with or a TV to watch??? 🤣🤣🤣

During Covid, we had a few parents like this. Knew full well there was a queue as it was instructed by school and everyone was lined up along the fence, they walked past whole queue to Stand bang in front of gates.

And nobody says anything like excuse me there’s a queue? Is she from a different country? Some countries don’t queue they just push and shove their way to the front.

Someone did this to me in the queue for burger king at. Well I was about halfway down the queue the queue had moved forward i was just about to move forward with ds when a woman cut in front of me. It wasn’t a big gap about the amount of space of 1 persons standing room. I’m not sure if she didn’t realise but I tapped her on the shoulder and said excuse me that’s the back of the queue.

There should be a Most Boring and Repetitive section on here. Bit like Classics but nowhere near as good.
I would nominate this thread for it.

You que up to collect your child? Here we just gather out front near the entrance and the teacher let's each child go as soon as she makes eye contact with the parent.
The only queuing is done by the children inbthe morning.

I genuinely don't understand. Parents stand around and take their child as they come out. How are the teachers supposed to know whose parent is head of queue before they bring the children out? Completely pointless. The children coming out are not going to be in order of the parents lining up.

So is ours.

It’s rude to queue jump. Queue jumping mum is the ‘loon’, but clearly on this thread. Social norms in the UK are that we queue, it’s like our cultural identity 😂

No, they queue to get into the school grounds and then wait outside the class room or playground.
The queue is just to go through the gate, it makes no difference in how your child is handed back to you.

Are the people at the front of the queue waiting for the opportunity to collect a better kid? Otherwise you’re not queuing you’re just using space and time inefficiently.

This is like when people queue in a line of traffic just for the polite sake of it rather than using both lanes and merging in turn.